This weekend is the 3rd Sunday of Advent, traditionally called “Gaudete”, Sunday “Rejoice” Sunday. We light the rose colored candle, the priest wears a rose colored vestment to remind us to rejoice. We rejoice because Christmas is near.
A few weeks ago, I had to get my brakes worked on. I took it to an auto repair shop near Hays, because I wanted to visit my mother and step-father while it was being worked on.
The mechanic answered his phone and I unintentionally heard the conversation. The mechanic said, “Oh we charge more money to (ethnic group).”
I was shocked and saddened by what he said. The mechanic was being dishonest in his dealings just because of the ethnicity of the person who brought their vehicle in good faith to have it worked on.
This reminds me of the Gospel today as John the Baptist told the tax collectors to stop collecting more than what is prescribed. And he told the soldiers to stop practicing extortion. He wanted his listeners to treat others with respect and in a just manner.
John the Baptist called the people of his time to put on a new mind. To try to live in such a way, that is pleasing to God. To be honest with each other. To look out for the needs of others, especially the poor. John the Baptist told the crowd to help the poor, to feed the hungry and to give a cloak to one who needs it.
While there are those who are physically poor, and we are obligated to help them, there are those who have spiritual poverty. As Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, “The spiritual poverty of the Western World is much greater than the physical poverty of our people. You, in the West, have millions of people who suffer such terrible loneliness and emptiness. They feel unloved and unwanted. These people are not hungry in the physical sense, but they are in another way. They know they need something more than money, yet they don’t know what it is.” “What they are missing, really, is a living relationship with God.”
When I was in Medjugorje, I met a Patrick Latta and his wife, Nancy. Patrick used to be a car salesmen in Canada, and later owned his own dealership. He made millions of dollars in a dishonest way. He became so wrapped up in money, he ended up getting a divorce. Patrick said, “I had nothing to do with God, church, marriage, sacraments, school. I had a horrible time in Catholic school." One day, when Patrick was on the football field, the head coach yelled in front of everyone, “Hey, Latta, you can't play because you don't pay to come here." Patrick did not know his parents couldn’t afford to pay his tuition. He said, "That was the end of my school – that was the end in believing in God. I quit going to school when I was 16 to go wash cars in a car lot….10 years later I bought the company. I was a super salesman. I bought my own Honda dealership. I bought my own BMW dealership. We were the top gun in Western Canada. Nobody could outsell us.” "I have four children [from two previous marriages]. My children never saw the inside of the church – ever." He used to say to his children, "This is god," and would hold up money.
He wanted to become rich, so he would never be rejected again. And he did become rich, but was missing a relationship with God and was spiritually poor.
One day, his daughter came up to him and told him, she was pregnant, outside of marriage. He handed his daughter the keys to a new car and said, “Here you go sweet heart, this will make you feel better.” She walked away sad. She didn’t need a new car. She didn’t want money. She needed a father to show his love to his daughter.
Because he was wealthy, he and Nancy got married by a justice of the peace in a helicopter. Patrick had been married three times. But, when he went to Medjugorje, his life changed. He discovered he needed an annulment and now he wanted to get married in the Church. He later discovered his first wife got an annulment. His second wife wasn’t Catholic, so he was able to get an annulment in a few weeks with paperwork.
He wanted to marry Nancy in the Church. He went to confession, married Nancy in the Church and changed his attitude. He turned away from sin because now he wanted to treat people in a just manner. He sold everything and moved to Medjugorje where he now has a retreat house for priests.
He didn’t raise any of his children Catholic because he never went to church.
After his conversion and marriage to Nancy, he asked the youngest son if he’d like to pray a Rosary with them, but he declined for months before he finally agreed. Today, 19 years later, that son is Catholic and married with two beautiful kids. He is a teacher at a Catholic high school, and one year he even took 52 kids from his school to Medjugorje.
The second son went to Medjugorje once, and Patrick gave him a Rosary. He went back to Canada and later called his father to tell him he quit drinking, quit rugby, and became a fireman. Patrick said, “How is that possible?” And the son said, "The rosary you gave me in Medjugorje." Today he is married and has two beautiful kids.
For 10 years, Patrick did not hear from his daughter. In February of 2012, he got a phone call from her. She said she was in Canada and wanted to come to Medjugorje."Daddy, I want to start again. Daddy, I don't want to be separated from the family anymore." At this point, she had been through three divorces. She came for two weeks to Medjugorje. She got a healing of her problem with alcohol and went back to the University for a nursing degree. Her life completely changed. “The divorce is gone – the alcohol is gone – the drugs are gone – from someone who started to pray.”
Patrick asked for prayers for his oldest son who still lives an immoral lifestyle. Patrick paraphrased, “Our Lady said if you do this (holding up the rosary), I'll show you miracles in your family.”
To treat others in a fair manner, sometimes, means we need to apologize and ask for forgiveness. All of us can wander away from God and every now and then, we all make big mistakes, especially with loved ones: our spouse, our children or siblings and sometimes our parents. Our Lord understands our human weakness. He just wants us to ask for forgiveness to those we hurt and especially ask the Lord to forgive us. God is offended by every sin. Sin hurts Jesus. It was because of sin, Jesus went through His terrible passion and suffering and death. Yet, that wasn’t the end of the story. Jesus rose from the dead and conquered sin and death. He ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to form His new Church, giving the apostles and disciples and His bishops and priests in every age, up to today, the commission and power to forgive sins. Jesus forgives, through them.
There is no better way to prepare for Christmas than to come to Jesus and ask Him for forgiveness. When we go to confession, our burden is lifted. We feel free. We have peace. We rejoice in God’s mercy. We experience our Father in heaven’s love for us. We were spiritually poor, but after confession, we are rich in mercy. In fact, we know the angels in heaven rejoice over one repentant sinner. And Jesus, the Good Shepherd rejoices when He finds the lost sheep and picks up and carries it home on His shoulders.
Now is the opportunity to begin a new life with Jesus. To turn away from sin, to become a true follower of the Good Shepherd. And if we do, we will rejoice in the Lord.
May the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Mercy, grant us, Her children, the grace to come to the merciful Heart of Jesus in the sacrament of Confession, and we will be able to give the baby Jesus a most precious gift for Christmas, the gift of a pure, a heart which is just and honest and rejoices in God, our savior.
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